Make your ideas heard!

Contribute to the session development in Theme 1 by emailing your ideas to the coordinators for each topic.

Theme 1: Global Change & Risk Management

Topic 1.1 Adapting to Climate Change

There is a rapidly advancing understanding of many of the causes and consequences of global warming. The key questions facing the water community are how climate change will impact the water cycle and what will be the key adaptation strategies to reduce human and environmental risks. Given the myriad of different physical and economic circumstances, and the inherent uncertainty associated with both effect and needed action, there will be substantial debate through the sessions under this topic on appropriate responses, technical answers and political decisions required to facilitate these responses and where the highest priorities should be placed.

Topic 1.2 Water-related Migration, Changing Land Use and Human Settlements

Increasing pressure on water, land and living environment leads to migration of populations, which in turn impacts on the environment of the new settlements. Through improved water management, land and environment, can the needs for migration and their impacts on settlements be reduced? What are the most suitable coping strategies for development and management of water services for present and future demographic developments?

Topic 1.3 Managing Disasters

New threats to the safety and economic security of hundreds of millions of people are arising through more frequent and extreme disasters connected with increasing urbanization and climate variability. A first priority is disaster preparedness, cooperation between government agencies at different levels and the installation/maintenance of key water infrastructure in order to reduce the loss of life, jobs, property and business continuity when disasters occur. In this context, there are a number of different perspectives on the urgency of this problem, the cost-effectiveness of different levels of preparedness and the potential support needed from Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the most vulnerable Least Developed Countries and small island states.